Alabama police officer convicted of murder for 2018 shooting of suicidal man KATE FELDMAN
A Huntsville, Ala., police officer has been found guilty of murder for fatally shooting a man who had a gun to his own head and was threatening suicide.
William “Ben” Darby, 28, faces between 20 years and life for the murder of Jeffrey Parker in 2018, a jury ruled Friday.
Parker called police on April 3, 2018, claiming he was armed and suicidal, according to AL.com. Huntsville Officer Genisha Pegues responded first and began to try deescalating the situation.
But when Darby arrived on the scene, he immediately began yelling at Pegues to “point your f king gun at him,” according to body cam footage.
Alabama Police Officer Is Convicted of Murdering a Suicidal Man
Jeffrey Parker had called 911 to report that he was suicidal and was holding a gun to his head when he was fatally shot by Officer William Darby, prosecutors said.
May 7, 2021
A police officer in Huntsville, Ala., was convicted of murder on Friday for fatally shooting a man who had called 911 to report that he was suicidal and who was holding a gun to his head when the police arrived, prosecutors said.
The officer, William Darby, who had been strongly defended by the Police Department and cleared of wrongdoing by a city review board, will face 20 years to life in prison when he is sentenced for the killing of Jeffrey Parker, 49, on April 3, 2018, according to prosecutors.
William Darby of murdering a suicidal man in April 2018. That man,
Jeffery Parker, 49, was holding a gun to his head in his own home while talking to another police officer, according to a report by local CBS affiliate WHNT-TV.
Parker told a 911 operator that he planned to kill himself, the report said. Darby maintained that he fired on Parker to protect his fellow officer from a dangerous situation.
Prosecutors disagreed. They maintained that Darby was the aggressor. The jury agreed with the government.
Deliberations began in Madison County on Thursday but needed to resume anew on Friday morning, the station said. A juror with a medical issue had to be replaced by an alternate. The final jury reported about two hours before issuing a guilty verdict.
Police officer convicted of murder in shooting death of suicidal man
Updated 9:46 AM;
Today 9:46 AM
Huntsville police officer William Ben Darby took the stand in his own defense during his murder trial at the Madison County Courthouse in downtown Huntsville, Ala. on May 5, 2021.Lee Roop | lroop@al.com
Facebook Share
Huntsville police Officer William Ben Darby today was convicted of murder for shooting and killing Jeff Parker, a suicidal man, three years ago.
A Madison County jury found Darby guilty after about two hours of deliberations on Friday morning, returning a verdict that left local police “in the first stages of shock.”